Shenzhen bans Electric Bicycles

In ever growing and sprawling Chinese cities burdened by heavy traffic and unfinished public transportation systems, the spread of e-bikes has been meteoric in recent years. On July 1, 2011, Shenzhen officially banned electric bikes from its roads, following a study estimating that 15.7% of road accidents in Shenzhen were due to electric bikes. According to the authorities, the e-bikes’ danger lies in its silence (commonly referred to as the silent killer).

Beijing had also banned electric bikes in some neighborhoods between 2002 and 2006, under the pretext that their battery was too polluting. But the ban was lifted in a desire to decongest the city.